The following invention relates generally to instrumentalities for administering doses of medicaments. More particularly, the instant invention is directed to a vial formed from elastically deformable material which is externally manipulated in order to squeeze the contents of the vial out of the vial and thus be dispensed.
Syringes are well known medicinal dosing devices. In essence, they operate by having a substantially cylindrical bore within which a piston reciprocates. One end of the cylindrical bore admits and dispels fluid from the interior while another end of the cylinder allows a piston plunger to be received for axial translation in providing the propelling force for the introduction and utilization of the liquid.
While these devices perform the avowed purpose of dispensing medicine, they have changed little since their inception. Typically, the piston includes a peripheral seal at an end thereof within the cylinder of the syringe and remote from the plunger. This seal is frequently lubricated with silicone to reduce the co-efficient of friction and may include latex, both ingredients of which have been the subject matter of ongoing scrutiny with respect to adverse patient reactions to these two products. In addition, in order for the syringe to receive the fluid, they either must be prefilled which provides an opportunity for contamination during the prefilling process, or they must be subsequently filled at the site of usage which requires that the syringe cooperate with an ampoule or a vial for fluid transferal.
In response to these problems, applicant has devised a series of prefilled syringes which are formed ascepticly and are filled concurrently in a blow-fill seal process. These prefilled, blow-filled seal syringes have dispensed for the need of receiving fluid from another source after the manufacture of the syringe, since the syringe is filled concurrently at its site of fabrication. While this product operates quite efficient and admirably, applicant has developed other devices in order to provide solutions to problems in related areas of this industry.
For example, applicant has devised an ampoule which is elastically deformable and prefilled using blow-fill seal technology which can dock with existing, conventional, known syringes in order to provide a more economical ampoule or vial where preference still exists for a conventional syringe.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant""s avowed duty to disclose relevant prior art. It is respectfully submitted, however, that none of the prior art when considered singly or in any conceivable, permissible combination teaches or renders obvious the instant invention set forth hereinafter.
The instant invention takes into account the fact that not all syringe related deployments require the elaborate methodologies and structure of the prior art in order to be effective. One common scenario involves catheter flushing which occurs predominately in a hospital environment and requires that a flush be applied in the catheter prior to and subsequent to the utilization of the catheter for the delivery of medicine. Flushes typically include HEPARIN or saline in sufficient quantity to purge the catheter line free from the tendency of blood at the site from clotting.
Other examples where it is not essential to deliver extremely precise dosages include intermuscular and some vaccine injections and situations where exigent circumstances (i.e., time is of the essence) and the portability of the medicine far outweighs the risks associated with time delay (e.g., battle field environments).
The instant invention displays a variety of techniques which offer varying degrees of precision by taking an economical medicine storage device expeditiously and immediately deploying it without intervening manipulations.
At its broadest, the instant invention is directed to a device configured as a vial, preformed with the medication contained therewithin which can serve as the dosage administering device immediately. Initially, the liquid within the vial is sequestered from gas, commonly introduced during the manufacturing process. Once this sequestration has occurred, and perhaps sequestering some of the liquid with the gas, the vial can be oriented to push a quantity of the liquid immediately to its intended site. The outlet of the vial can have any of several contours, some of which are standardized by convention. For example, a luer coupling can be disposed at the outlet, a spike can be deployed at the outlet, or an outlet which is complemental to a luer can be found at the outlet end.
Various instrumentalities can be disposed on the exterior in order to act as an external plunger operating on exterior sidewalls of the vial to urge the liquid out from the vial while retaining the gas therewithin. All instrumentalities act on sidewalls of the vial.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved elastically deformable vial including means to provide external pressure thereto, collapsing the vial to remove the liquid therefrom, thus acting as an external syringe plunger.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a device as characterized above which is economical in construction, asceptic in fact and durable in use.
Viewed from a first vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dose administering device, comprising, in combination: a closed end wall, a flexible, collapsible sidewall circumscribing the end wall, an outlet coupling at an end of the sidewall opposite the closed end wall, fluid in said device, and plunger means disposed on an exterior of said device""s flexible sidewall to eject fluid by constricting the sidewall.
Viewed from a second vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for medicinal dosing, the steps including: sequestering gas from liquid in a vial, constricting the vial to sequester the gas in one area, opening the vial at a liquid containing other area and squeezing the liquid from the vial by deforming the vial.
Viewed from a third vantage point, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for dosing, comprising, in combination: a vial formed from elastically deformable material and having a sealed outlet, liquid contained within the vial, means exterior the vial for distorting an interior of the vial into two zones, one zone with liquid adjacent the outlet, another zone predominately with gas, the exterior means including means for squeezing the liquid from the vial upon unsealing the outlet.
These and other objects will be made manifest when considering the following detailed specification when taken in conjunction with the appended drawing figures.